The variety of sweet potato that I grow (T65) has been bred and selected for our shorter summers, the flesh of the tuber is more creamy in colour than the orange colour tubers bought in supermarkets, and has a much nicer flavour. I bought my slips last year from the organic garden catalogue – yes I know, pricier than using a supermarket tuber but felt it was worth growing one that was bred for our summers and keeping some back for following years rather than getting one off the shelf – then after all the faffing about not having it succeed

(why are slips so expensive ?)

So this year I set about producing slips from last years tubers…

The tubers I kept from last year were stored in a box covered with dry multi purpose compost in my shed and were fine when I got them out in Jan..

Sweet potatoes are grown from shoots or “slips”. Slips are produced by submerging part of a tuber into a jar of water. I started my sweet potatoes off in this way around the end of January leaving them in a bright and warm place.

After a few weeks the tubers will start to produce slips and fine white roots will begin to grow below water level. Keep the jars topped up with water so that they don’t dry out. ( I use tepid water when topping up) When the slips are about 4″  long gently twist them off the tuber and place in a jar of water. There will be no roots attached to the slips at this stage. After a few days in water the slips will produce their own set of roots.

Here they are, before potting into soil looking sorry for themselves-don’t be put off by their appearance. After a couple  of weeks  in potting soil their roots establish and they look much healthier..

When they have a healthy set of roots pot them individually into a small pot filled with soil. (I use root trainers) Leave the tubers in their jars of water, as you twist off the slips more will be produced.

Keep the potted on slips in a warm place. Once they are showing signs of growth start to harden them off gradually.

It is recommended to grow them under black plastic for added warmth.. Find the warmest and sunniest position you have. I read they can be grown vertically up a wigwam or trellis but I allowed mine to trail along the ground. Sweet potatoes like similar growing conditions as potatoes, well drained soil with a little manure mixed  and keep them well watered to swell the tubers. Try to avoid fluctuating water levels otherwise you may get tubers that crack. I planted my sweet potato plants this year approximately one and a half feet apart in April, before the last frost dates for my area but they are covered with enviromesh to protect them. I leave the the mesh insitu until June.. The plants need over a hundred days from planting to harvesting. I lifted mine last year, in September – first week in October.

Be careful when lifting as their skins are delicate and easily damaged, leave in a warm place for a week or two so their skins can cure/harden before storing in a dry cool place…

The vines have a uncanny resemblance to bindweed ( they are a relative) so it may be useful to put a sign up… Lol

Some of my lottie neighbours thought I had put plastic down to kill weeds and kept remarking on the bindweed that had pushed its way through the plastic… Lol. Think they were worried it would invade their plot *smiles*